We’re into the second week of 2013, and we’ve finally got some nice weather on the North Shore. 2013 greeted us with rain, gloomy skies, and shitty wind, so it’s nice to have a little of the sunny heaven we all so deserve.

With a smallish swell forecast, it’s not likely we’ll see a repeat of last years carnage, but with an overhead NW swell scheduled to hit the island early on Saturday, and, possibly, a larger one on the 15th, there’s still a good chance we’ll get to see Pipe’s best put on a show. And, while it’s always a disappointment to run a contest at Pipe in less than terrifying surf, the smaller, more playful, size should allow for a little more technical showboatery. And, make no mistake, even when it’s not triple overhead, the piece of reef between Backdoor and OTW hands out more savage beatings than a drunken stepdad while mom’s out of town.

The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout is a unique event; with a team format, no jerseys, and no priority, it’s less your standard ASP/ZoSea fashion show, and more a chance to watch the world’s best Pipeline specialists get the lineup to themselves without having to thread the needle between kooks like you and me.—Rory Parker